


Quid pro quo

by Tashilover



Category: RWBY
Genre: Violence, enemies to frenemies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2016-03-23
Packaged: 2018-05-24 19:40:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6164368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tashilover/pseuds/Tashilover
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Do you know what the term, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' means?"</p><p>"Yes!" Said Ruby. "It means you have lots of enemies!"</p><p>Torchwick stared at her. "Oh good lord, you're an idiot."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

For the first time in a long time, Ruby was scared for herself.

She has always considered herself self-efficient, always eager to start the day. She has never caught a cold, broken a bone, and has done her best to treat others the same way she wanted to be treated. Both of her parents were hunters, her favorite uncle in the entire universe was a hunter, Yang's mom was also a hunter, and Ruby herself was going to school taught by Ozpin himself. With such determination, energy, and impressive background, why should she be afraid for herself?

But she was, really was.

Her cell was only a fourth of the size of her room back in Beacon. She was surprised how small the bed was; she could barely fit in it. If this was the standard size, then what about the other prisoners here? The ones who were taller or heavier than her? There was no way they could ever sleep on this small bed.

There was a toilet in the corner with no seat, a grimy-looking sink, and she swore she saw a rat earlier. There wasn't even a window. Her cell was illuminated by a single bulb, occasionally flickering.

Somewhere down the hallway she heard a man scream.

Ruby hugged herself. Sometimes when Blake wasn't in the room, Ruby would secretly read from the books on Blake's shelf. ("You can always tell where the good parts are," Yang said to her after catching her in the act. "Let the book fall open naturally and it'll flip right to it.")

Sometimes in those novels the damsel in distress would be _ravished_ by the villian. Ruby was old enough to understand the fear of finding oneself in such a situation. Whenever she noticed an older man looking at her in a way that wasn't innocent, she always thought back to what her uncle Qrow once said to her: "Ruby, if a guy ever touches you in a way you don't like, you do _this_."

And then he proceeded to pantomime grabbing _something_ and ripping it off. (Followed by throwing that _something_ upon the floor, stomping on it, and then hysterically laughing his head off.)

Ruby had no idea if she was brought here to be used for that particular reason. Her kidnappers didn't exactly give her a reason why they grabbed her. She was down by the river, her arms full of clothes. She had volunteered herself to do some washing while the rest of team JNPR gathered wood for fire.

(The rest of the team, minus one-)

She had her scythe, and the others were not far. Ruby thought she was safe. She was only washing clothes, not exactly a situation she thought would put her in danger. The attack came quick, catching her off guard. Before she could stand, before she could even drop Ren's wet shirt, she felt a prick on the side of her neck, and then all she knew was darkness.

When she woke up, she was here, in this dingy cell. They took her scythe from her and they took her cloak. A few times she called out into the hall, asking why she was here and why. No one answerd her. She wasn't alone in this place, she could hear movement and the voices of others, but the language they spoke was foreign to her.

Worse, she was getting hungry and thirsty, and there was no way in _heck_ was she going to drink from that dirt-covered sink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She ended up drinking from the sink two hours later. The water was thankfully clean and it didn't taste funny. Now all she needed was some food. Surely her captors didn't grab her only to starve her? That would suck.

Ruby walked up to the cell bars again. "Hey!" She cried out into the hallway. Her voice echoed. "I'm hungry!"

The odd atmosphere of strange people talking and confusing noises continued. No one answered her.

Just as she opened her mouth to call out again, the unmistakable sound of a door opening was heard. The door needed oil because the result _squeal_ of metal sent shivers down Ruby's spine. Heavy footsteps came towards her and Ruby stepped back from the bars.

Four very large, very intimidating-looking men came into view. For a horrifying second, Ruby thought this was it, this was the moment she feared. She was not going down without a fight. She was going to bite and scratch and tear off all the things Uncle Qrow told her to tear off. She bent her legs, readying herself, when she noticed the fifth man.

He was limp, held up by his arms. Two men dragged him across the floor, his boots gathering dust and debris like the world's worst broom. The man had dirty red hair and his suit was torn in several places.

One of the men pointed his weapon at Ruby. "Back away from the door, little girl. I won't hesitate disabling you."

Ruby believed him. With her hands up in a placating manner, she took a couple steps back.

With the gun still trained on her, the fourth man opened the door to allow the other two to drag in the limp man. They quickly placed him on the ground, face down, and swiftly left the cell.

"Um..." Ruby pointed to the suspiciously possible dead man. "You're not going to leave him here, are you?"

They ignored her, closed the cell door and locked it.

"You guys are jerks!"

She heard their steps echo away, followed by the intense screech of the door.

The man on the floor had yet to move.

"Don't be dead," Ruby begged quietly. Slowly she bent down on her knees and reached out to the man to turn him over. "Don't be dead, don't be dead, don't be dead, don't be dead-"

With a grunt, she turned him over.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: vomiting and general grossness

He was alive. Of course he was alive. "How?" Ruby whispered. "You got eaten!"

Roman Torchwick looked like hell. Half of his face was bruised, his hair was matted with dried blood, and he hadn't shaved in a while. Most of the men in Ruby's life sported beards and mustaches and she was used to the sight of unshaven chins, but in her opinion, Torchwick looked stupid with a beard. The red hair poking out from his cheeks did not suit him.

That was assuming he was still alive. Ruby couldn't tell if he was breathing. His chest wasn't moving. "Hey," Ruby said, poking him in the shoulder. "You alive?"

When he didn't stir, she poked him again, harder this time.

When he still didn't stir, she decided it was time for more drastic measures. She slapped him.

THAT got a reaction. Torchwick gave out a gasp and sat up so quickly, he nearly headbutted Ruby in the face. Ruby squealed and quickly scrambled back, ducking behind the tiny bed, watching him.

For a long moment, he did nothing. He blinked wildly like he'd just woken up from a long nap rather than slapped out of unconsciousness. He then turned his head towards Ruby, narrowing his pink-rimmed eyes at her.

"Hey Red," he whispered, grinning.

Then he flopped back down and fell unconscious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He woke again an hour later. Ruby was on the bed, swinging her feet back and forth, bored and hungry, when Torchwick suddenly groaned. The man grasped his head and achingly sat up. "What... what's going on...?"

Ruby got up from the bed. She took a few steps back, keeping her distance from him. "We've been kidnapped," she said. "By whom, I don't know."

"Mmmm... is that you, Red?" Torchwick groaned. He leaned forward, pressing his hands against the floor. "Ugh, this place smells."

Ruby watched him carefully. At the moment he didn't seem like a threat. She had searched his pockets earlier and he had nothing on him except for a dirty handkerchief. He was sick, Ruby realized in that moment as Torchwick continued to groan. His shoulders hitched like he was about to vomit. "The sink is over there," Ruby said, pointing. "Next to the... toilet.".

She made no effort to help him as he dragged himself over to the toilet. A part of her wanted to step forward, to help him up, because watching a grown man crawl like a baby was embarrassing and painful. The more rational side of her told to keep her distance. Torchwick got to the toilet, lifted his head and, "Ugh! I'd rather go in the woods, thank you very much."

He reached out for the sink. He grasped the edge of it and pulled himself up on shaky legs. He groaned when he saw how ugly the sink was too. "Oh, this is just terrible. Red, please tell me at least the water's clean."

"It's clean."

With a grimace he turned on the faucet full blast, letting the water run for a few seconds before cupping his hands under the spray and bringing it to his mouth. He swallowed, rinsed his mouth, then splashed water on his face. He turned off the faucet and pushed himself away. He was still shaky on his feet but he looked better.

"How are you still alive?"

Torchwick was in the middle of wiping his face clean with the sleeve of his shirt. He paused and looked at her. "Huh?"

"You were eaten," Ruby said. "And yet you're still alive? How?"

"Wasn't eaten," he grunted. "I was swallowed whole. Big difference."

Swallowed whole. Ruby imagined him slipping down a dark, damp tunnel, his entire body squished from all directions. It must've been dark, suffocating, and unbelievably gross. He still had his weapon, so it was possible he could've cut himself out. How he managed such a feat was story Ruby may never know.

Also, she didn't care. Here he was, alive and well when Pyrrah was nothing more than the mingling dirt on the bottom of Ruby's boots.

Her fists curled at her side.

"You're the reason why my friend is dead."

Torchwick blinked tiredly. His wet, dirty hair clung to his face and neck. "Huh?"

"You," Ruby continued. She was ashamed tears gathered in her eyes when all she wanted to feel was anger. "And Cinder. You attacked my school, you hurt my friends, you hurt my sister, you killed..."

Fat ugly tears rolled down her face. Ruby gritted her teeth, determined to get this out. "You killed Pyrrah. And all for what? Money? Power? _Why are you here when Pyrrah's gone?!"_

She was shaking. She has never felt like this before, and it surprised her. She didn't know what she'll do if Torchwick answered in his usual mocking tone, if he sneered at her or laughed.

He did none of those things. Torchwick opened his mouth as if to speak-

His eyes suddenly bugged out of his head, slapped a hand over his mouth and he quickly rushed over to the dirty toilet. What followed was the most violent vomiting Ruby has ever heard. "Oh good lord," Torchwick groaned after heaving for nearly twenty seconds. "This looks like blackness and death."

Ruby turned away from him. She wiped at her cheeks, and was afraid of the way her hands shook uncontrollably.

She ignored his ramblings. "I don't remember eating that."


	3. Chapter 3

Torchwick ended up taking the bed, flopping himself down without asking Ruby first if it was okay to do this. He was too tall for it and his legs dangled off the side. "Can't believe I got grabbed by Tricksters," he moaned, throwing his arm over his eyes. "Typical."

Ruby was staring out to the hallways, hoping to flag down a passing guard. She wanted to ask if she could get a different cell mate. "Tricksters?" She asked, frowning. "You mean like... clowns?"

"No, I mean like... ugh, Tricksters are morons who like to run illegal fighting rings. Most of the time they're dumb, small fights, usually between a hunter and Grimm. Sometimes it's hunter against hunter. Even your great uncle Qrow has participated in them, Red. It's a good way to score extra cash."

Ruby would argue that but she's heard the stories. Uncle Qrow has even admitted that's how he paid for Ruby's birthday gift last year. (It was a bike and it was awesome.)

"But people get bored with these fights. It's not bloody enough, it's not gory enough. So these extreme Tricksters like to grab hunters right off the street and have them fight in their arena."

That didn't sound any different than the arena fights back at Beacon. "Why would-"

"To the _death_ ," Torchwick added on dramatically. "Forgot to include that little tidbit."

Immediately Ruby thought about Pyrrha. Pyrrha who unintentionally tore Penny apart. Why would anyone want to pay to see that? To pit two innocent people against each other in hopes one of them might die? Ruby could not imagine such a scenario: Pyrrha standing over Penny's broken body, raising her weapon high in the air in triumph as the crowd went wild. "And that's why we're here?" Ruby asked. "To have us fight each other?"

"Mmmhmm... maybe not each other," Torchwick said with his arm still over his eyes. "Otherwise they wouldn't have put us in the same cell."

He raised his arm just enough to peer one eye at her. "They wouldn't want us to kill the competition early."

His arm flopped back down. "Maybe they didn't have the space, or maybe they're planning something special for us. Who knows."

"...is there a way to escape?"

"Only if you're lucky."

Because that wasn't ominous or encouraging in any way. Ruby stepped away from the bars and hugged herself. "My friends will be looking for me. I can count on them to rescue me."

Torchwick huffed. "Your friends couldn't even protect Beacon, let alone keep you from getting kidnapped. I have more faith in the fact I'll die from my fever before your friends even notice you were gone."

His blantant disregard for his crimes against the school had Ruby seeing red. Without thinking, she kicked out and struck one of the supporting legs of the bed. The rust-covered leg snapped easily and collapsed. The bed shifted sharply to the left, and with a yell Torchwick tumbled to the floor, landing right on top of his elbow. "OW!"

At first Ruby was appaled by what she had done. It was one thing to fight in self-defense, but it was another to strike out in anger. She took an aborted step forward to help Torchwick back up and stopped herself. No, she thought darkly in her head as Torchwick cradled his arm gingerly. He deserves this.

She turned to continue looking out into the empty hallway as guilt began gnaw at the bottom of her stomach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"This is what's going to happen, Red," Torchwick said. He leaned against the remains of the bed, looking even worse than he did when he was first brought in. "They're going to take us out to the arena and pit us against a hunter. It's going to be a slaughter. They're not going to give us weapons and the hunter is going to be big, and ugly, and cruel. It won't matter that you're just a little girl and I'm sick, they won't show mercy."

"What do they expect us to do? Lay down and take it?" Ruby scoffed. "What's the point of creating an illegal fighting ring when all they want is a bloodbath?"

"We're simply the opening show, a preview before the real fight. Get the crowd going. After they finish dragging our corpses off the field, then the real fight begins."

How horrible. How many people have faced their deaths like this? How many were just like her, small and alone and with no friends to help them? Just when Ruby thought the world couldn't get any darker, this happens.

"But it doesn't have to be like that," Torchwick said pointedly. With a grunt he pulled himself up into a proper sitting position. Even that small movement looked like it took enormous amounts of energy. "Do you know what the term, _the enemy of my enemy is my friend_ means?"

"Yes!" said Ruby. "It means you have lots of enemies!"

Torchwick stared at her. "Good lord, you're an idiot."

"Hey!"

"Look, if you want to survive this long enough for your friends to rescue you, we're going to have to work together. Understand?"

"You tried to kill me! You tried to kill my friends! How do I know the moment I turn my back on you, you're not going to betray me to save yourself?"

From down the hallway a door audibly opened. Several loud footsteps stomped towards them.

"Here they come," Torchwick muttered. Harsh, raspy coughs had him doubling over, gasping for breath. "Better make up your mind soon, Red. We're about to make our debut."


End file.
